JT Daniels had one of the most unique careers in college football history. It should only help him in his next career.
The quarterback of four FBS universities at one point in time, Daniels will be an offensive graduate assistant at West Georgia, according to A to Z Sports. (Update: A source tells FootballScoop Daniels will not be a GA, but will assist the Wolves' offense in an off-field capacity.)
As Daniels joins the first-year staff of new West Georgia head coach Joel Taylor, the move also is a reunion of sorts: he's reunited with Dane Stevens, West Georgia's up-and-coming young offensive coordinator who previously was with Daniels when the quarterback started his collegiate career at USC.
Stevens was hired away from Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss staff to run the Wolves' offense earlier this year.
A brief (as possible) rundown of Daniels's college career:
-- A 5-star recruit out of powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., Daniels committed to USC on July 30, 2017.
-- 2018, true freshman: The No. 2 quarterback and No. 6 overall player (per 247Sports) in the class of 2018, Daniels started immediately upon arrival, the second quarterback in USC history to be the opening-day starter as a true freshman. He played 11 of 12 games that season, hitting 59.5 percent of his 363 passes for 2,672 yards with 14 TDs against 10 INTs. The Trojans went 5-7 on the season.
-- 2019, true sophomore: Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter of USC's opener against Fresno State. In his absence, freshman Kedon Slovis threw for 3,502 yards and 30 TDs.
-- 2020, redshirt sophomore: After transferring to Georgia, Daniels lost the QB1 job to Stetson Bennett out of camp, but a midseason shoulder injury opened the door for Daniels to start in Georgia's final four games. Showing clear improvement, he completed 67.2 percent of his 119 throws for 1,231 yards with 10 TDs against 2 picks. A strong performance in UGA's Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati sets the expectation Daniels will start for Georgia in 2021.
-- 2021, redshirt sophomore: Daniels represented Georgia at SEC media days and started the opener against Clemson (a 10-3 win) but injuries pushed him in and out of the lineup. Bennett eventually wins the job outright. For the year, Daniels threw 94 passes in six appearances.
-- 2022, redshirt junior: Daniels transfers a second time, to West Virginia, and plays the entire season until he is benched in November for freshman Garrett Greene. For the year, Daniels went 200-of-327 for 2,107 yards with 13 TDs and 9 INTs.
-- 2023, redshirt senior: Now at Rice, Daniels starts the Owls' first nine games before injuries once again forced him off the field. On Dec. 1, Daniels medically retired from football.
Never an overpowering physical specimen, Daniels wowed coaches from an early age with his advanced understanding of the game. From a 2023 story in The Athletic:
As a high school freshman, Daniels attended a Stanford camp, and Mike Bloomgren, then the Cardinal’s offensive coordinator, was blown away. He quizzed the quarterback on pass protections and Daniels explained them the way an NFL quarterback would.
“Ninth graders don’t think about that stuff,” Bloomgren said. “We had players in the NFL who it didn’t make sense to like that. But with him, it has always been like that.”
Though his college playing career clearly did not turn out as envisioned some seven years ago, here's hoping that bruising, windy road will serve as the origin story for a great coaching career.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.